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HEALTH

France hits 20 million milestone in Covid vaccination drive

France reached its target of injecting 20 million initial doses of coronavirus vaccines Saturday, days ahead of a hugely anticipated reopening of restaurant terraces, part of an easing of the nationwide lockdown.

Published: 15 May 2021 14:42 CEST
Updated: 16 May 2021 09:25 CEST
France reaches 20 million vaccinations
Photo: Thomas Padilla / POOL / AFP

President Emmanuel Macron announced the milestone in a tweet that said “20 million” with a green checkmark, a number that represents around 30 percent of the population.

Health officials said the exact figure was 20,086,792; with 8,805,345
people having also had a second vaccine dose.

 “It’s a very important moment for the entire country, because it supports our prospects for ending this crisis,” Prime Minister Jean Castex told journalists while visiting the mass vaccination site at the Porte de Versailles conference centre in Paris.

READ ALSO: UPDATED: When will you be eligible for the Covid vaccine in France?

The government aims to have 30 million initial doses injected by June 15th, when President Emmanuel Macron has said all adults will be able to sign up for a jab currently reserved for priority groups and adults over 50.

The vaccination campaign in France is picking up pace as it’s been extended to all over-18s, who can now book a Covid-19 vaccination. That is as long as they can find a vacant slot within the next 24 hours.

“It’s within reach,” Castex said. Authorities also reported further declines in the number of patients requiring intensive care in hospitals.

The number of people in intensive care continued to fall Saturday, with the latest figures showing fewer than 4,271 – down from 4,352 the previous day.

That is well below the peak of 6,001 during the “third wave” of infections that battered France starting in March.

On Wednesday, museums, theatres, cinemas and concert halls will reopen with limited capacity after six weeks of closure to halt the pandemic, and the nationwide curfew will be pushed back to 9pm from 7pm.

READ ALSO: Covid-19: Will it be safe to return to France’s cafe terraces?

Non-essential shops will also reopen and outdoor seating at cafes and restaurants will be allowed for the first time since October 30th.

Cafes and restaurants will be able to serve clients indoors on June 9th, and the curfew will be fully lifted on June 30th if infection rates continue to decline.

By this date, the limits on establishments receiving public – such as restaurants, bars, cinemas and museums – might disappear, depending on the local health situation.

The government has previously said it favours following local guidelines, allowing for more activities in areas with a lower spread of infection.

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HEALTH

France reports nearly 200 cholera cases in Mayotte

Nearly 200 cases of cholera have been reported on the French Indian Ocean island of Mayotte, which is struggling to contain the deadly epidemic.

Published: 21 June 2024 14:08 CEST
France reports nearly 200 cholera cases in Mayotte

“As of June 18th, 2024, 193 cases of cholera have been reported in Mayotte,” France’s Santé publique France health agency reported in its weekly update.

Of those, 172 were locally acquired cases, while 21 were in people infected in the neighbouring Comoros archipelago and countries on the African continent.

Cholera is an infectious disease typically causing severe diarrhoea, vomiting and muscle cramps. It spreads easily in unsanitary conditions.

Mayotte, which is home to around 320,000 people, reported its first locally acquired cases of cholera in late April, according to officials in Paris.

Two people have died since the beginning of the epidemic, one of them a three-year-old girl.

Santé publique France warned there was a particularly high risk of transmission in disadvantaged neighbourhoods, “as long as access to drinking water and sanitation is unsatisfactory”.

French authorities have been criticised for failing to secure access to drinking water to prevent a cholera epidemic in its overseas territory.

President Emmanuel Macron called for cholera to be ‘consigned to the past’ when he hosted a summit on Thursday on vaccine production in Africa.

Many parts of Africa have recently seen fatal outbreaks of cholera, which has highlighted the shortage of local vaccine production.

The Comoros, which has been affected by a cholera epidemic for the past four months, has recorded 134 deaths and more than 8,700 cases, according to a report published by local authorities this month.

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